Northumberland apples on menu at area schools

Apple donation - Food For Thought

Karen Longwell / Northumberland News

COBOURG -- Sarah Tsang, chairwoman for Food For Thought, left, Bev Silk from St. Andrew's United Church 100-Mile Diet Event, Susan Greenwood from Northumberland Food For Thought and David Bernier, Northumberland Catholic School Board trustee hold some of the locally grown apples donated to Northumberland Food For Thought for school nutrition programs. November 20, 2012.

GRAFTON -- Kids in classrooms county-wide will enjoy fruit of Northumberland's bounty, thanks to a dedicated group of eat-local advocates.

Members of Grafton's St. Andrew's United Church, organizers of the '100-Mile Diet Event', have donated proceeds from the event to Northumberland Food For Thought. The 100-Mile Diet Event is an annual opportunity for local growers and farmers to showcase their fruits, vegetables and other products made and produced in Northumberland, said one of the event's organizers, Bev Silk.

This year's proceeds - $700 - will be used to buy fresh, home-grown apples for student nutrition programs across Northumberland County. Over the past five years, St. Andrew's has donated $3,350 to support the in-school nutrition initiative.

The '100-Mile Diet Event' began five years ago as a committee of St. Andrew's United Church. The event started as a community outreach to encourage residents to buy and eat local, said Ms. Silk.

"We wanted to promote the '100 Mile Diet' idea without cooking a meal," she explained. "We decided to contact area farmers and invite them to showcase their products and in the first year, we had 12 participants. This year, we had over 20."

The annual event is free and the money raised is from a donation jar at the door, she explained.

The money translates into approximately 2,400 pounds of apples, fresh from Moore Orchards of Cobourg, said Northumberland Food 4 All warehouse manager, Rob O'Neil.

"Above and beyond what is bought, Moore Orchards donates enough apples to supply the school nutrition program from October through March," said Mr. O'Neil.

Northumberland Food For Thought is a non-profit initiative that coordinates nutrition programs offered in 38 schools across the county, said Food For Thought community development coordinator, Susan Greenwood.

The programs are free and universal, with no questions asked," said Ms. Greenwood.

"If you're hungry, you eat so there's no stigma attached," she said. "We encourage teachers to have breakfast and a lot of them do, along with the students."

The program's success is due to tremendous community support from volunteers, partners and donors, such as the St. Andrew's United Church '100-Mile Diet Event' committee.

"Thanks to this group of dedicated volunteers, local students have been able to enjoy fresh, locally-grown apples that give them the fuel they need to learn in school," said Ms. Greenwood.